What is WRONG with people????
What the hell do people do to books? Library books to be
specific. Is it because they haven’t paid for them so they feel indifferent
about how they treat them? Because they haven’t shelled out any of their own
precious money they feel it’s alright to deface them???
I am furious!
Dog eared pages, food particles stuck to pages, grease spots
and wrinkled chapters obviously subjected to water!
Arrrrggghhhh!
I know I’ve ranted about this before….but it just gets my
goat!
My parents taught me at an early age ‘Books are our
friends!’ And you don’t treat your friends with such disdain. My mother went
even further and told me inanimate objects have feelings. When you turn down
the corner of a page in a book to mark your place it causes the book physical
pain! “How would you like it if someone turned YOUR ear down and creased it?
Can’t you hear it crying?” (looking back, as much as I appreciate the lesson, I
think that might have had far more psychological damage than she intended….but
I digress…)
I just don’t get it.
I find myself gently smoothing out the creased corners of
any book I am reading that has been subjected to this cruelty, and murmuring
gentle, consoling words to help ease its pain. (See what I mean about
psychological damage…..Husband says it explains so much about me….)
I wish I could wave a magic wand over all the damaged books
in the world and fix all their ills. And then with the same wand, wave it over
all the cruel and stupid people who inflict their thoughtless dog-earing (and
worse) habits on the books and cause them to break out in warts all over their
faces while crying out, “A POX UPON YOU!”
THAT would teach them!
Or maybe I should just tell them that inanimate objects have
feelings and REALLY screw with their heads!!!!!
Lol. I bet you have trouble taking a book and making a mixed media journal out of it! I do actually. Have trouble with that idea, that is. I too grew up respecting books. Dad would buy the Reader’s Digest Condensed books all year and we got to read them over summer vacation. Books were a big deal. My sister somehow missed that idea of preciousness because she once used one of my books as a coaster for a drippy cup of coffee. I was NOT pleased! Then again, she’s the sister who borrowed my dress and spilled chocolate on it too! Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteI was also brought up to respect books.
ReplyDeletePeople!!
This is why I have a houseful (literally) of books. I’ve tried using the library, but most library books are disgusting. I like my books clean and wrinkle-free (or at least have wrinkles that have been made by me!)
ReplyDeleteBooks should be treated with respect and reverence. I understand your pain. But on the other side, if we didn't have broken books, we wouldn't be able to alter the book by giving it new life as art.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same I can not stand to crease or mark my books. My books look as new as the day I got them. And those people that turn down the corners of the pages....have they not heard of bookmarks.
ReplyDelete